Forever Offering Thanksgiving

Those who deny God’s existence are ingrates. Anybody who believes not in a Supreme Being shouldn't pretend that he knows everything. But if his mind is telling him that he has not the capacity to know and understand everything that exists, then he must accept that there is a reason behind the existence of everything. The most intelligent man who lived on earth had confessed his inability to understand everything under the sun.

ECCLESIASTES 8:17

Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

Scientists believe that nothing will happen without a cause. Although it is a principle in science, some scientists who do not believe in God ascribe to nature everything that exists. Let us examine if there is a rationale in this.

Nature is defined by human dictionary as the original unaltered state, character and condition of everything that exists in the entire universe. There is no definition whatsoever that ascribes to nature the creation of anything. In nature, there are laws, there are mishaps (meaning things happening beyond the law of nature). In nature, there are accidents like mutations, bearing of twins, triplets, and the existence of third sexes caused by the imbalance of the male and female hormones in an individual, etc. Nature is not as consistent as it should have been since time immemorial. But while there are mishaps and inconsistencies in nature, there is Someone consistent and will not change: this is God.

JAMES 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

God is the creator of everything that exists.

ACTS 17:24

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands…

He ordains, controls and can alter nature. Sea waves are ruled by nature to stop on the shores, but God can call the waves to transgress the shore and cover the land.

AMOS 9:6

It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.

Man is helpless against the power of nature. Nature kills — sometimes violently, sometimes in great number. If we are under God’s care and guidance, we will be safe before occasional furies of nature.

I am a grateful creation of my Creator, and I will forever be, with His help. I have unspeakable reasons to be thankful to Him. My being, my strength (and weaknesses), my wisdom (and ignorance), my abilities (and inabilities), everything I possess bespeaks of His power, loving-kindness, compassion, and grace that calls for praise and thanksgiving.

Why should everybody be grateful to God?

I want you to answer this question:

1 CORINTHIANS 4:7

For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

Is there anything in us that we did not receive? Have we provided ourselves with life and strength? Nobody can answer in the affirmative. Then, if the answer is ‘no’, we must admit that somebody far, far greater than ourselves gave these things to us. The King David, after realizing this, burst into thanksgiving.

1 CHRONICLES 29:11-13

11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

12 Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

This declaration stands unchallenged even by the most powerful of human beings that have existed and now exist on earth. This is God’s signature on His authority over everything that exists.

It is God’s will that His creation be grateful and offer Him the sacrifice of ‘thanksgiving’.

PSALMS 100:3-5

3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

I firmly believe that you and I belong to one of these generations mentioned in the preceding verses. Until now and forever, the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures.

Thanksgiving springs from the heart of somebody who has the understanding that he does not live by himself.

ACTS 17:28

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring.

God is a Being that cannot be seen with our eyes, but can be felt by our hearts. Our conscience as human beings does testify of His existence.

ROMANS 2:15 NLT

They demonstrate that God’s law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right.

Man’s conscience can teach him what is good and what is bad; what is right and what is wrong; and the preference for goodness in the heart of a man proves the existence of God.

Let us all offer unto God praises and voices of thanksgiving, for we are all indebted to Him.

The offering of thanksgiving is a good thing in the sight of God.

PSALMS 92:1

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

Refusing to do what is good is a sin.

JAMES 4:17

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Being ungrateful is a sin!

HEBREWS 13:15-16

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

As it pleases a doer of good to receive gratitude from the recipient, it is well-pleasing to God to be thanked by the recipients of His goodness, loving-kindness, and mercy.

JEREMIAH 9:23-24 NIV-UK

23 The Lord says, “Let not a wise man speak with pride about his wisdom. Let not the strong man speak with pride about his strength. And let not a rich man speak with pride about his riches.

24 But let him who speaks with pride speak about this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who shows lovingkindness and does what is fair and right and good on earth. For I find joy in these things,” says the Lord.

There are people prophesied in the scriptures, and called the people of God in the last days, that will fulfill this prophecy.

JEREMIAH 30:19-24

19 From them will proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who celebrate; And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished; I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.

20 Their children also will be as formerly, and their congregation shall be established before Me; And I will punish all their oppressors.

21 ‘Their leader shall be one of them, and their ruler shall come forth from their midst; And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me; For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the LORD.

22 ‘You shall be My people, And I will be your God.

23 Behold, the tempest of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, A sweeping tempest; It will burst on the head of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has performed and until He has accomplished the intent of His heart; in the latter days you will understand this.

To God belong all praises and honor forever and ever. Amen.

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Religious Threat To Democracy

Having heard the news that a religious leader was displeased with President Noynoy Aquino when the latter did not take all the recommendations of the former for appointive positions in government, a high ranking official of the judiciary exclaimed, “These people are the biggest threat to our democracy!”
I know the man who said this. I believe he is a man of integrity. In his lengthy service to the Republic, there was no report of corruption nor any scandal wherein he was involved. He is a man of reasons and I believe what he said about such religion and their leaders.

On Target : Iglesia ni Cristo displeased with P-Noy?

By Ramon Tulfo / Columnist

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: August 06, 2010

PRESIDENT Noy, in his search for people to fill up key positions in his administration, has allegedly displeased a religious sect that supported him in the last election.

Iglesia ni Cristo’s Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo has allegedly written the President to ignore all his recommendees for some positions in government, according to a source close to Ka Eduardo, as he is known to his flock.

The source claimed that Ka Eduardo had said in his letter that the INC was freeing the President from the pressure of considering people recommended by the church for certain posts in his government.

My source inside the INC said there were positions that Ka Eduardo had asked P-Noy to fill up with persons from the ranks of the INC, but such requests were allegedly ignored.

The source added that the INC head had said that those whom P-Noy has appointed to key positions upon his recommendation can either be removed or they can choose to resign.

One of INC’s recommendees is Director Magtanggol Gatdula of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The source said the religious sect’s withdrawal of support from the Aquino administration is expected to have grave political repercussions for the fledgling administration.

I’m glad to know that there are now officials in our country that can notice the danger being posed by religious leaders that dictate who their members should vote for in an election, with the threat that they will be excommunicated if they do not follow! Such an act constitutes a blatant violation of the law of God that prohibits a religious leader to act like a lord to his flock!

I PETER 5:2-3

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.

Such an act also violates the Constitution of the Philippines that states that:

BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 881, OMNIBUS ELECTION CODE OF

THE PHILIPPINES, ARTICLE XXII, ELECTION OFFENSES

Section 261. Prohibited Acts. – The following shall be guilty of an election offense:

(d) Coercion of subordinates. –

(1) Any public officer, or any officer of any public or private corporation or association, or any head, superior, or administrator of any religious organization, or any employer or land-owner who coerces or intimidates or compels, or in any manner influence, directly or indirectly, any of his subordinates or members or parishioners or employees or house helpers, tenants, overseers, farm helpers, tillers, or lease holders to aid, campaign or vote for or against any candidate or any aspirant for the nomination or selection of candidates.

This law, if not being ignored, is simply being regarded as a decoration (like jewelries and "burloloys" of a harlot) by the concerned authorities who should punish violators! There is leniency on the part of the COMELEC, the governing officials, and election candidates, because they take advantage of being favored by the wishes (Read: bloc-vote practice) of these religious leaders, who in turn favor them with an advantage over appointments and contracts in government! There appears to be matching favor for favor between politicians and these religious leaders who are both greedy of power and money! And the result is? A history and a culture of corruption in Philippine politics.

I am also a religious leader with quite a number of followers in the Philippines and around the world. In my 52 years of service to the Church of God, I have never compelled any member to vote for the candidate of my choice, or even threatened them of being excommunicated just because they did not vote for my candidate – after all, a politician is not a sufficient reason to cast a member of the true church to hell. A brother in Christ must be loved more than a politician outside the true church.

GALATIANS 6:10

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

The Iglesia ni Manalo (Iglesia ni Cristo) is strictly implementing this wrong practice of dictating to their members whom to vote for in an election. Members are deprived of their constitutional right to vote according to their conscience without any intimidation and coercion. They are also deprived of the Biblical right to choose for themselves.

JOB 34:4

Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.

(Translation: Primary doctrines in the Church of Christ, page 127, written by Eraño G. Manalo. “Do not destroy the unity of the church even in terms of voting or otherwise because it involves sin that merits excommunication from the church.”)

Why is there a threat on our democracy from these practices in religion?
Granting that this religious group has gained grounds being in the majority of Philippine populace, the wish of the leader will be the deciding factor of who will lead the government, thus turning our government from democracy to religious dictatorship, and directly violating the inviolable provision of the Constitution that there must be separation of the church and the state! Simple deduction and undeniably true! I hope that our politicians realize the danger that follows if these practices are not corrected by proving that nobody is above the law including the leader of the largest religion in the country! These leaders must be punished!

Refer to current news and events happening in the Philippines;
arrest without warrant, arrest of people by officers in plain clothes, filing of cases after cases to harass enemies of their atrocity, and many more...

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The Lucky Person I Am: Most Slandered Me

Remembering Matthew 5:11, especially when I’m alone “makes me happy, makes me feel fine.” I feel fine because as human being, I will naturally feel hurt and at times angered by accusations from all directions, but realizing the essence of what the Lord Jesus Christ said, such feelings will instantaneously be gone! The verse says:

MATTHEW 5:11

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

To be blessed by God while others curse, revile, persecute, say all manners of evil, and falsely against you is luck! Blessings that come from God are priceless. It is the root of all good things that a man may hope for. It cannot be fully described by human tongue or language.
The Lord Jesus Christ was slandered too, and some of those defamations were recorded as follows:

MATTHEW 27:63

Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

JOHN 7:20

The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?

MATTHEW 12:24

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

MATTHEW 9:34

But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.

JOHN 10:33

The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

MATTHEW 11:19

The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Even the apostles were slandered:

THE ACTS 25:7

And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.

III JOHN 1:9-10

9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

II TIMOTHY 4:14-15

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

Even the Christians of the first century were slandered, no different from me.

I PETER 2:12

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

This is the path that almost all the people of God have walked throughout their sojourn on earth.

Most Slandered Me

I believe using mathematical and logical calculations that, I am the most slandered man in the history of Christianity. The defamations being thrown to my person “go beyond borders.” I mean beyond the borders of the land of my birth, the Philippines. By using the most efficient cyberspace technology that is lenient in terms of charging responsibility and accountability, my detractors were able to popularize these lies beyond borders. One thing I can assure the Members of the Church of God International, however, is that the lies they are sending beyond borders, if treated in shallowest of equity and justice, will never gain ground.

To my God be the Glory forever! And to me and to all that believe in what I preach, His blessings! Amen.

II TIMOTHY 3:12

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

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From the East to the West: Part 2

There are so many preachers in the east that claim to be the vessel or the instrument of God in preaching the truth. One of them very much known in the Far East is a Korean by the name of Sun Myung Moon. Another is a Filipino by the name of Felix Manalo who teaches that he is the angel ascending in the east in the book of Revelation Chapter 7. Another still is a Filipino by the name of Salvador Payawal, who preached that the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth will be on January 1, 2001, 12:01 in the morning. And of course, in the Philippines, there is also Bro. Soriano. Who among these that claim that they are the instruments of God in establishing God’s people in the Far East is the true messenger of God? Let us again focus our eyes on the prophecy in the east. It is undoubtedly Biblical that, according to the prophecy, there will be people of God in the east country; that the east mentioned is not the Near East. It logically speaks of another east. And we have seen that before, it can be in the Far East. But let us see who will be the instrument to be used by God in preaching the glory of his name among the Gentiles or the people of God in the east or in the Far East. In the Book of Isaiah 24:15 (REVISED STANDARD VERSION) it says –

“Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the coastlands of the sea, to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.”

I want you to notice what the verse says. The prophecy speaks of people giving glory to the name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea in the east. Did you notice the term used “coastlands or the islands of the sea in the east?” In the King James Version, it is translated as “isles of the sea” while in the Revised Standard Version, it is referred to as “the coastlands of the sea”. So, the country being mentioned is made up of many islands and they are islands of the sea. The characteristics of the country called Las Islas Filipinas or later The Philippines is very much fitting. There will be people (from where? in those islands??) giving glory to the name of God of Israel. This is a collateral prophecy very much related to the Malachi 1:11 that we have used earlier.

Now, how will these people give glory? What will lead them to give glory to the name of the Lord God of Israel in the east? There is still another prophecy in the book of Jeremiah. But before we read such prophecy, let us discover what kind of a prophet is Jeremiah. In the Book of Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord said –

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

He was ordained a prophet unto the nations. Meaning, the prophecy of Jeremiah does not only mention the nation of Israel but also other nations. And it is very much possible that the Philippines is a part of the prophecy of the Book of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 30:19-22, 24 –

“19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.20 Their children also shall be as formerly, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. 21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD. 22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”

The prophecy states that there will be people of God in the last days. You should remember that fact in the prophecy – that they are people of God at the time of the end or in the latter days. Out of these people will come out with praises and thanksgiving unto the Lord God of Israel. But you have to notice also that in the verses mentioned, they are few. Nevertheless, the power of God will not see them few for all time because He said that “I will multiply them…,” meaning, they will start from few; “I will glorify them and they shall not be small…,” meaning, at their advent they will be few and they will be small. Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry for the glory of the name of the Lord God of Israel. How will this start? In the prophecy also, it says that out of them will proceed their governor or their leader and their nobles will come from themselves. A leader or a governor, from among them, shall come. So there will be an instrument like the Apostle Paul who will lead them to be the people of God. Their leader will come from them. Surprisingly true, Brother Eli Soriano did not come from any other religious group. He was born, with his parents already members of the Church of God and they are few. Upon the death of Brother Nicolas Perez, Brother Eli Soriano took the administration in the Church of God which during those times, were but very few.

Maybe critics will say, “So, therefore, it was not Soriano who started the preaching, it was Nicolas Perez.” That is true, and we will not refute that, but the prophecy is clear – it will not be Perez that will be acknowledged by God as the leader. He is just like John the Baptist who has preached the inception of Christianity. He did not become the leader but he is the introducer. Nicolas Perez was used as an instrument of God to start the preaching but he is not the supposed leader who will lead the people because he came from another religious organization. Very much like Manalo, who also claims to be the fulfillment of this prophecy. In this case, Manalo, he cannot be the fulfillment, because he was born a Catholic and he became a member of so many religious groups before he finally founded the Iglesia Ni Cristo (of Manalo) in the Philippines. It is much like also with the Korean who was born in an oriental religion. Brother Soriano, on the other hand, was born in the Church of God. His parents were already members before he was born. This satisfies the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah that says “and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.” And when that happens, “And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.” And this will happen in the latter days or in the time of the end.

Aside from the prophecy of Jeremiah, is there another prophecy that can be used in the Bible to mention the person of Brother Eli Soriano? In the Book of Revelation 1:3 it says –

“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

In the time of the end, when the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand, there is another prophecy in the prophetic book of Revelation that there will be someone who will be reading the Bible. There are those who will hear the words of the prophecy of the Bible when he reads them, people will hear and they will fulfill the things that were written in the prophecy. I believe with all my heart that this was fulfilled in this organization that started from the east which is now called popularly as the Church of God International. It was the person of Brother Soriano who was used by God in making his truth be heard from the isles of the sea in the orient or in the east. In fact, Brother Soriano is known from the tip to the bottom of the Philippine Islands because of his preaching that he has been doing for four decades of his life.

Now, Brother Soriano is in the west. Still, if he be allowed by God, he is willing to be used as an instrument for the westerners because the prophecy states, if we are going to go back to Malachi 1:11 –

“For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.”

It says that “from the rising the sun and unto the going thereof”, meaning in the west, it is fate and faith that brought Brother Soriano from the east to the west. For your information he is now preaching in the west to make the prophecy be seen among the nations that the Lord God said that from the rising of the sun to its setting, or from the east to the west, “I will save my people in the east country and in the west country.” I believe in the potent work of the words of God. I believe in the powers of the word of God. All of these shall come true. And I’m willing to be a little instrument of this prophecy!

So help me, God. AMEN!

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From the East to the West

One of the concerned readers of this blog site asked, “Is there any prophecy in the Bible regarding the Philippines?” It immediately flashed into my mind when sometime in the 1980’s, a critic in Pampanga where I was preaching nightly asked, “Can you read Philippines in the Bible?” And there followed a lot of discussion about what cannot be read in the Bible. For example, although the name bitter gourd is not in the Bible, ampalaya in the vernacular, the very essence and the very being of such vegetable is in the Bible. I will read to you the book of Genesis 1:11-12, 29 –

“11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

It is clear in the verse that God created every herb for food. “Every herb.” Every herb means every plant and every vegetable that is after its kind. I want you to notice the word “after its kind” and “bearing seeds”. The bitter gourd falls into this category. Exodus 12:8 proves this.

“And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.”

When God commanded the Israelites to observe the Passover, they were admonished by God to eat the Passover lamb with bitter herbs and there is no doubt that ampalaya is bitter. So it does not mean that if a particular name is not mentioned in the Bible, it is not in the Bible. In fact, the Bible is the mirror from which we can gauge or see things that exist since creation. Even those that have gone extinct can be found in the Bible. For example, dinosaurs, even though they are now extinct, are mentioned in the Bible. They are now extinct, but they are in the Bible. The same thing goes with the Philippines. It was discovered by Ferdinand Magellan on March 16, 1521, and was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain, sometime in 1543. So it was called “Las Islas Filipinas” or The Philippine Islands.

There are great nations in the world today that exists whose name is not in the Bible. There is a hint of the nation of Cyprus, even though the word “Cyprus” is not mentioned, The Bible mentions it as Chittim; but the word Cyprus is not in the Bible. America, Great Britain or the United Kingdom are also nowhere to be found in the Bible. There are prophecies in the Bible that do not mention the name; therefore, it is logical that we cannot find those names in the Bible.

The last book of the Bible was written in the concluding part of the 1st century of our era . The Old Testament books and the prophets were written from as far back as 1300 years before Christ. So a name which was given to a particular nation only in the 1500’s of our era cannot be found in the Bible and it is logical. But it doesn’t mean that because the name of a particular nation or a country cannot be read in the Bible, that nation is not included in the Biblical prophecy – just like the case of my country, the Philippines.

Whatever truth that happens which is in accordance to the will of God is in the Bible. I believe the advent of the preaching of the true church in the Philippines is in the Bible. Let us read from the prophecies of the scriptures. There is a prophecy in the book of Malachi 1:11, which says –

“For the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.”

This is clear in this prophecy among the heathen or the Gentiles. The word “Gentile” means “outside Israel”. For reference, we may read Ephesians 2:11-12:

“11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”

All nations outside Israel, which is the first nation under God, are called Gentiles. And according to the Bible, in the prophecy of the Book of Malachi, the name of the Lord God of Israel will be great among the heathen or the Gentiles. And that starts from the rising of the sun.

I want to invite the meticulous attentions of those Bible reading scholars. The east mentioned here is not the east of Jerusalem but it is the east where the rising of the sun commences. We know that the sun rises in the direction of the Far East and that is where my country lies. The Philippines is in the Far East and not in the near east. If we are to consider the wordings of the prophecy in Malachi, it is among the Gentiles. So, it is not in the Middle East or in the near east where Christianity was first established but it is in another east which is different from the near east where Christianity was first preached, the near east. Therefore, it is another east and this east is very clearly defined in the Bible as the east from where the sun rises. According to the prophecy “…from the rising of the sun and to the going down thereof, the name of God of Israel shall be great among the Gentiles…” Why? It is because incense will be offered unto the name of the Lord God of Israel. Incense in the verse tells us not of literal incense. It is in the book of Revelation 5:8 (REVISED STANDARD VERSION) –

“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints;”

Incense signifies the prayers of the saints. So there will people in the east offering prayers to God and God acknowledges their prayers. These are people of God in the east. In relation to that, there is another prophecy in the book of Zechariah 8:7 –

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;”

So, there will be people of God in the east. Let us not discount, however, the possibility that when we say the word “east”, it may mean Japan because it is also in the east. In fact, it is called the Land of the Rising Sun. It may also mean Indonesia. It may also mean the Philippines and other countries in the Far East but what is striking in the prophecy is that it speaks of people praying unto the God of Israel. Never was in the history of Japan or other countries in the Far East that the name of the Lord God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was praised among the Gentiles or the heathen in Japan.

Most oriental countries have their own religion. For example, Buddhism is very prevalent in Japan and other oriental religions. They do not believe in the Lord God of Israel. But in the Philippines, it is the only country in Asia that believes in the Bible and that takes the Bible as the authority of their faith. And in the Philippines, I believe, is the fulfillment of this prophecy that there will be a people of God and these people will be offering incense or prayers to the Lord God of Israel. But how do we know they are the people of God and how will they become the people of God? He said, “I will save my people from the east country…”

Before there can be people of God, somebody must be used by God in preaching the truth. In the book of Acts 15:14 –

“Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.”

Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. So God will visit the Gentiles, to take out of the Gentiles a people for his name. And how can this be? How will this happen? The Bible again in the book of Acts 9:15 has this to say –

“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”

The verse speaks of the person of the Apostle Paul. For there to be a people of God, there will be a chosen vessel like the Apostle Paul. Paul was commissioned by God, firstly, in the Christian dispensation, to be the front runner of Christianity among the Gentiles. “He’s a chosen vessel unto me to bring my name before the Gentiles…” he said in the prophecy. And this was accomplished by the Apostle Paul. When he was preaching, he said in the book of Acts 13:46-47 that–

“46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”

It is clear in the verse that Paul said to the Israelites, who rejected his preaching that he was going to the gentiles “…the word of God must be preached first unto you, but seeing you put it from you, you do not want to accept it, you judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, then we turn to the Gentiles…” Why? For this is the essence of the prophecy (in verse 47) “For so hath the Lord commanded us (in the prophecy)…” it is in the prophecy of Isaiah saying “I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”

So when the name of the Lord God of Israel was first preached unto the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul was the chosen vessel. But let us remember that the Gentiles being spoken of by the Apostle Paul are not the Gentiles in the Far East since he did not preach in the Far East. The Gentiles, to whom God sent the Apostle Paul, are the Gentiles in the surrounding areas of the Holy Land and extends as far as Greece, the Gentiles in the domain of the Roman Empire. But the prophecy in Malachi specifically speaks of Gentiles in the east. So, in that particular prophecy, it is not Apostle Paul who will be the instrument of God in gathering his people in this particular part of the globe. There will be another vessel like Paul who will preach the greatness of the name of the Lord God of Israel in the east; and that east, the rising of the sun, is different from Jerusalem or from the Holy Land that is in the Middle East.

Now, is there such a person like the Apostle Paul in the east who will preach the name of the Lord God of Israel? Is there a prophecy that tells about his being and is there a prophecy that tells us the time when this vessel of God or instrument of God like the Apostle Paul will preach the name of the Lord God of Israel in the east? Of course there must be in the Bible because as I have said earlier, there’s always a fulfillment of the truth of God written in the scriptures, especially in the prophecies.